This appeared in Millennium Post on 25 Jan 2020

http://www.millenniumpost.in/sundaypost/routes/vistas-in-wilderness-agawa-canyon-397341

 

 

Agawa Canyon - An Artist's Palette

 

Clear skies and a sunny Ontario morning sees us board the train at The Algoma Central station in Sault Ste Marie. We sink into the comfortable seats of the passenger car and are ready to take on the slow, four-hour, 114 miles ride into the Agawa Canyon. Seats in muted red adorn the interior of carriage which is simple yet tasteful in decor. As the train pulls out from the station, the onboard state-of-the-art audio-video system, begins an interesting and informative commentary on the history of the region and the route we traverse.

Agawa Canyon is a fairly shallow area that lies within a transition area between two major forests. It was created 1.2 billion years ago by faulting along the Canadian Shield and was carved larger by the eroding action of the Agawa River and rises 575 feet above the river at its highest point. The boreal forest region on the north, and the Great Lakes-St Lawrence Forest Region on the north and east, each with its unique flora and fauna, ensconce the canyon.

We skirt past the city's industrial area and the famed International Bridge before coming upon Northern Ontario wilderness in various shades of green. Our scenic journey begins here as we are whisked by a ribbon of steel into a wonderland of pristine vistas. The train snakes past rivers, lakes and wetlands cradled by the undulating terrain of the Canadian Shield, geologically the oldest landscape on the planet, with rock formations as old as four billion years! Seemingly impenetrable foliaceous corridors, punctuated by giant granite rock formations, hug the tracks on both sides as the train leisurely courses through serpentine tracks flanked by endless stretches of verdure. 

We pass through trestles spanning deep river valleys, glide alongside glistening lakes, and roll along the rails through mammoth rock cuts and vast mystery-shrouded woodlands of the Canadian Shield. The sheer beauty of these heavenward spiking, sensuous slabs of grey-pink granite faces bowls us over. The rugged landscape through which we travel is dramatic and mesmerizing. For miles we are hemmed in on both sides by towering trees and scrubs that flaunt their lush hues. And then suddenly the train shoots out into the open, giving us glimpses of wide expanses of water bodies. 

It is as if we are riding on the edge between earth and water, journeying through geography and history at once. The locomotive-mounted digital cameras enable us to have a clear view of the tracks ahead of us on the TV screens in our carriage, and the winding course taken by the train. The GPS-triggered tour commentary, broadcast in six languages including English, continues to narrate the rich history of the Algoma region and highlights the major landmarks along the way. The shutterbug in me is particularly happy with the spotlessly clean and huge windows of the fully air-conditioned coach. I click away with my digital device, the endless expanse of changing topography that we ride through. A mosaic of spectacular views unfolds before us as the track follows the course of the Agawa River.

The carriage embarks on a slow-paced descent, 500 feet into the canyon as we reach Mile 102. All of a sudden our visual delight morphs into a serene and spiritual experience. The track and the river, funnelled between gargantuan granite walls, gently descend into the canyon 12 miles down, making for ecstatic views of the Shield Country. 

The train halts at Mile 114 for 90 minutes, allowing us to soak in our surrounds and experience the 'jewel' of the tour - Agawa Canyon Park. We detrain and stand in meditative silence for several minutes, awestruck by the compelling beauty and power of nature. The greens of summer is everywhere about us. The canyon, fringed by a medley of trees and shrubs, adds to the charm of the ambience. Vast stretches of grassy verge draped in the glitter of emerald and gold entice us to tread gently on their soft being. The ethereal beauty of the canvas before us has an almost mystical unworldliness about it – an “abstractism” that we “see” as much as we feel and experience! The reflection of vegetation and granite on the tannin-stained Agawa River adds further charm to the surreal surrounds. The river gets this colour from the tannic acid leaching out of the root systems and bark of the plethora of cedar trees in the Canyon. 

We pinch ourselves back to reality as we realise we have little time to explore our surrounds. We walk gravelled trails and climb up 300-odd steps to reach the jaw-dropping 'Lookout', 250 feet above the canyon floor. Our serpentine way up is shadow-swathed, hemmed in by trees of every timber - some woodsy, others densely foliaged in different stages of maturity. Every now and then, a dazzling lance of light cuts across the dark wall of trees, many of which have sprouting mushrooms on their trunks. The scene before us is picture-perfect; it is veritably an artist's palette of monochrome with the occasional yellow-ochre shining bright under a midday sun. 

 
 

Captivating vistas seem to leap right off of the canvases of the Group of Seven. Incidentally, a group of artists who would later call themselves the Group of Seven, Canada's most renowned painters of the 20th century, became inspired by the magical landscape of the canyon and the Algoma region. They lived out of a boxcar in the area and produced some of their most iconic works along the rail line. In doing so they also made fellow Canadians and the world, aware of the stunning beauty of this part of their country. 

Greedy to drink in as much of the tranquil and breathtaking environs, we change tracks and walk the River Trail, veering inland to click photographs of the Otter Creek Falls, Beaver Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. With the water lapping and slashing against boulders, the trio of waterfalls transports us to yet another world of pristine beauty with nature's own landscaping. Having sated our senses, but just enough, we hop into the Souvenir Car, a railway carriage so converted to pick up a couple of gifts and memorabilia, before embarking on our return journey. 

Disembarking from the train at Sault Ste Marie station, we walk the short distance to the Ste Marie River promenade and sit on one of its benches to relive the mystical environs of the canyon. We do not know when the retiring Sun slid off the dark canvas above to gave way to a plenitude of stars. As we walk back to our hotel, our hearts are full with the vistas of the day, captured so indelibly by the lens of our eyes.

 

Factfile:

Agawa Canyon is approached only by the Agawa Canyon Rail from Sault Ste Mary Station

Air: Sault Ste Marie is a 50-minute flight from Toronto

Rail: There is no direct train connectivity between the places.

Road: Rent-a-Car services may be availed from Toronto to cover the 680 km distance by road. Alternatively, the Greyhound Bus may be taken from Toronto.

Accommodation:  Sault Ste Mary has plenty of Hotels (Delta Hotels, Quattro Hotel, Quality Inn & Suites Bay Front, Days Inn & Suites, are just some of them), Motels and Bed N Breakfast apartments.

What to See: While in Sault Ste Marie city, Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre, Riverside Promenade, Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site, Art Gallery of Algoma, Museum Ship Norgoma, kindle a lot of interest.